Clothesline-pulley



R. C. MEISTERKNECHT.

CL'OTHESLINE PULLEY.

APPLICATION FILEDMAR. 6, 1919.

1,330,645. Patented Feb. 10,1920.

WITNESSES INI/E/VTOR A TTORNEYS RICHARD MEISTERKNECHT, OF ALLENTOVJLN',PENNSYLVANIA.

CLOTHESLINE-PULLEY.

Application filed. March 6, 1919.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, RICHARD C. Mnrsrnre KN ECHT, a citizen of the UnitedStates, and a resident of Allentown, in the county of Lehigh and Stateof Pennsylvania, have invented a new and Improved Clothesline- Pulley,of which the following is a full, clear, and. exact description.

This invention relates to pulleys or block and tackle and hasparticular, reference to means for locking or holding clotheslines orthe like.

Among the objects of the invention is to provide a pulley and shackle ofpeculiar construction providing for the practical automatic looking orunlocking of a clothesline or other rope.

Another object of the invention is to provide a self-holding pulley foran endless clothesline, the same being so designed and constructed as toaiford free traversing of the rope or line over the pulley when clothesare to be applied to or removed from the line, but wh1ch when it is tobe held stationary will lock the pulley from movement over the pulley bya member brought into gripping action automatically with the turning ofthe pulley around the axis of the line about 180 degrees.

With the foregoing and other objects in view the invention consists inthe arrangen'ient-and combination of parts hereinafter described andclaimed, and while the invention is not restricted to the exact detailsof construction disclosed or suggested herein, still for the purpose ofillustrating a practical embodiment thereof. reference is bad to theaccompanying drawings, in which like reference characters designate thesame parts in the several views and in which Figure 1 is a perspectiveview indicating my improved pulley and shackle and having an endlessrope or line arranged over the pulley and held in locked position.

Fig. 2 is a horizontal. section substantially on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1;and

Fig. 3 is a vertical longitudinal section on the line 3 8 of Fig. 2, butwith the looking member dropped into idle position.

Referring now more specifically to the drawings I show my improvement ascomprising a pulley casing or shackle 10 having a bail or loop 11 at oneend typifying any suitable means for attaching the shackle to a supportand providing for rotation of the Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 10, 1920.

Serial No. 280,891.

shackle around a longitudinal axis. The shackle has the major part ofits weight located on one side of its longitudinal axis so as to benormally held in an upright position under the action of gravity. In theother end of the shackle is journaled an elliptical pulley 12'having agroove 13 for a rope or line 14. This pulley is journaled upon a pin orbolt 15 fixed in the two side wings of the shackle in any suitablemanner.

16 is a locking dog held on a pivot or bolt 17 in or between the sidewalls of the shackle and below or at one side of the longitudinal axisof the shackle. Under normal conditions or when the pulley is rollingaround its pivot pin 15 the dog 16 will assume the position of Fig. 3where it is dropped well out of the path of the pulley, but with alateral extension or lug 18 bearing against a shoulder19 whereby theswing of the dog is limited to less than a right angle from its lockingposition.

In the operation of this device and with the parts in the position shownin Fig. 3 a rope or line mounted on the pulley will be free to be drawnin either direction or in other words the pulley will be free to roll inany direction around its pivot 15. If now the shackle and pulley beturned half way around the longitudinal axis or namely the axis of theanchor rope or connection 20 bringing the dog at the upper side of thecasing, it will drop promptly by gravity bringing the eccentric grippingface 21 of the dog directly against the line as in Figs. 1 and 2. Thefriction applied to the line at this time will hold the dog in-grippingposition irrespective of the position of the shackle with respect to theaforesaid longitudinal axis. The normal position of the shackle or theposition in which it normally tends to swing is that shown in Fig. 3, byreason of the fact that the dog and adjacent parts have sufficientweight to cause the device to assume this position. In order to loosenthe dog or release its grip upon the rope the operator, no matter howfar remote he may be stationed from the pulley, has but to draw slightlyupon the under run of the line whereby the dog will drop to its idleposition leaving the rope free again for rolling action over the pulley.

The point 21 of the dog or the longest portion of the eccentric facethereof extends far enough from the axis of the pin 17 to strike againstthe face of the pulley thereby insuring that the dog can never turn toofar around said pivot pin 17 In other words the extended point 21 of thedog will prevent such point from passing the line drawn between thecenters of the two pivots and 17, but the dog will pass the downwardlyprojecting end of the pulley or that portion having a longer aXis.Consequently the draft upon the upper run of the line will cause thepulley to act in the nature of a lever of the first class having itsfulcrum at 15 and the load or resistance at the lower end against theface 21 of the dog. The shoulders 19 are practically square so that whenthe projection 18 strikes against them there is no binding action whichmight otherwise serve to prevent the free dropping of the dog intogripping position when the pulley is turned around the longitudinal axisof the anchorage. The side portions of the shackle are preferablyextended upward at 22 adjacent to the pulley to keep the line guidedupon the face of the pulley 19 with no unnecessary weight on the upperside of the shackle. This clothes line pulley may be made relativelycheap and yet be strong and durable as well as effective in practice andis practically indestructible, and if made of non-corrodible metal or ofany strong metal nickel plated or galvanized, will always be clean andso will not contaminate the clothes line by rust or the like.

I claim:

1. In a clothesline fastener, the combination of a shackle, anelliptical pulley journaled in one end of the shackle, anchorage meansat the other end of the shackle, the shackle being weighted below theline connecting the pulley and the anchorage means, and a gravity actinglocking dog over the pulley pivoted in the weighted side of the shacklearranged to lock the clothesline between one end of the ellipticalpulley and said dog.

52. In a device of the class set forth, the combination of a frame, anelliptical pulley journaled therein, and a gravity operated locking dogjournaled in the frame and cooperating with the pulley in one positionto prevent its rotation, there being provided cooperating lugs andshoulders between the dog and the frame to limit the swing of the dogaway from the pulley to less than a right angle, substantially as andfor the purpose set forth.

RICHARD G. MEISTERKNEOHT.

